http://www.englishforums.com/search/pro.htm?q=tag%3aDialectsSearch results for 'tag:Dialects' matching tag 'Dialects'en-USXMOD (Build: 3607.32596)http://www.englishforums.com/English/TestYourEars1/lwkgx/post.htm#961770Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:10:40 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:961770kooyeenThanks for the replies. Due to assimilation, One can produce MPR instead of NPR;one can hear MPR Another example: " S n P" is heard as SMP, and is produced as SMP instead of SNP. By the way, raindoctor, are you a native speaker with "native ears"? From North America, the UK, where? If you are not willing to tell it, forget these couple of lines. Anyway, I'll go straight to the point. What I'm trying to find out is how sensitive native speakers' ears are when assimilation of this kind is involved. I learned such kinds of assimilation are not automatic in English, unlike in Italian (In Italian, "un pesce" would always be pronounced "um pesce"). As far as I know, in English it...http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhatDifferencesBetweenHopeHope/lhrrx/post.htm#953249Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:30:01 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:953249jemaasjr>>I am a Chinese, teaching English in China. Hope I can learn from you all. There is no plural "you" in English, except in the South Eastern US States, where they sometimes say you-all or ya'll. By ending your sentence with "you all," you make it sound like a Southern dialect:^) Okay I guess, but a little more formal style would be "all of you." Also, I think you can use "so" at the end of a sentence, but it would be better to have a clearer reference, as, Mary: Do you think he will pass? Alice: I hope so. Cheershttp://www.englishforums.com/English/Sword/2/wvbzr/Post.htm#952705Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:03:59 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:952705kooyeenKooyeen, I'm African American and being black has NOTHING to do with pronouncing the word "sword" nor does it have anything to do with Ebonics. That is an ignorant, stereotypical statement... It was just a guess, since CB said he heard it from a black singer. I have no idea how my guess could be "ignorant" or "stereotypical". Furthermore, the mispronounciation of many words often has more to do with the region one is raised as opposed to race (although culture definitely has an influence). For example, when I moved to Tennessee I noticed that many people truncated words and their accents altered the way they pronounced words. I don't think I said otherwise. In fact, I don't consider...http://www.englishforums.com/English/DialectPuntuation/lgjgz/post.htm#951114Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:42:55 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:951114grammar geekYou may find reference in books aimed specifically at fiction writers or screenplay writers. It's not the sort of thing covered in technical writing classes, though, "fer sher!"http://www.englishforums.com/English/DialectPuntuation/lgjgz/post.htm#950957Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:47:34 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:950957grammar geekWhen you are using an apostrophe to stand in for a dropped letter in dialogue, let nothing separate it from the preceding letter. It's free fer the askin'. Bobbie-Jo complained, "She took my new yeller blouse without even askin'!"http://www.englishforums.com/English/Moonlighting14/lvlgq/post.htm#949443Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:56:31 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:949443yankeeI see that native speakers "just guess" very often. That's the general idea. Part of "hearing" what people say -- in any language -- is anticipation. The more familiar you are with a language, the better you can anticipate words or groups of words. Native speakers of English don't have to hear every single word in a sentence in order to understand what was said. However, it gets a bit more difficult for me, for example, to try to understand a dialect I'm not very familiar with.http://www.englishforums.com/English/IPossibleEnglish/lzwpc/post.htm#945950Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:20:37 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:945950dimsumexpressSpeaking from experience, Yes, it is possible for non-native learners to develop the ability to think in English. The key word is "develop". One must be disciplined and determined during the process. I deliberately found a job 15 miles away from the community I used to lived where people spoke my native dialect so that I would have a chance to work and practice my English with the natives. At the same time I was building my vocabulary and trying to develop my writing skill. Little by little, I could feel the progress. I guess what it really meant is, one has to be immersed in English to develop the ability to think in the language he is learning, no matter what the language.http://www.englishforums.com/English/UsingWasAndWere/lzgvg/post.htm#945191Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:27:45 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:945191kooyeenI have always used "were" regardless of register. In other words, I have always said things such as "if I were you, I would..." both in formal AND in informal contexts. It is not a problem to use "were" in any register. It is always correct. Yeah, that's what I learned too. In other words, it seems "were" is always "appropriate" in most dialects, regardless of the register. And I use it, even though I believe I use "was" more often. But I'm not a native speaker, and I have no idea which might be more common in informal registers, but I'm sure that varies from place to place and person to person.http://www.englishforums.com/English/CanAnyonePolishThisForMe/ldhnr/post.htm#935730Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:48:29 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:935730anonymousI think this article basically has sound grammar and a natural tone. I made a few A few minor suggestions for comparison. Hope it helps . William Caxton introduced printing in to England around 1477 ( no comma) when he set up his press in Westminster. Adding to the publishing work, he translated books into English, striving to make them approachable ( Not sure this is the suitable adjective, do you mean affordable?) to people. At that time, English was but a collection of dialects. Caxton chose the one most widely (understood )understandable ( no comma), which eventually developed into modern English.Though he did a lot of work towards stabilizing English, it was not until much later that his invention (Suggestion: became widely...http://www.englishforums.com/English/SimplePastHelp/lcnnn/post.htm#932583Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:02:30 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:932583kooyeenAs soon as you see her, you say: Finally! I've been waiting so long! You use the present tense because there is no reason to use the past perfect unless there is a past reference point. The reference point is the moment she arrived, which can still be seen as "now". You arrive to the restaurant, and he asks: Have you eaten here before? I don't know why some people come up with "ate" as a past participle. Maybe it's really used in some dialects, but I don't think it's widespread enough to attract to so much attention. Go figure.http://www.englishforums.com/English/Contraction/2/cqrgr/Post.htm#931888Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:02:37 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:931888kooyeenI don't fully understand what a contraction is. So if I put an 's, 'll, 'd, 've, etc after any word does it make it a contraction? Only in spoken English. But in written English, some contractions are not usually written that way, even if they are likely to be read as contracted. I would have seen it (can be read as I'd've seen it , but it's never written that way) However, I don't think you can contract whatever you want as long as it makes sense. Some contractions might sound odd in some dialects. Ann Cook, in American Accent Training gives examples like The dogs'll've eaten the bones = The dogs will have eaten the bones ...but for some reason I don't like to contract...http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsItCorrect/lbqbl/post.htm#928466Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:13:44 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:928466kooyeenI learned I had to say "I don't like IT when he sleeps on the sofa", but I suspect some people might not include it. It's weird. But I swear I've come across stuff like "I hate when you act like this" on more than one occasion. Maybe that is only allowed in some dialects, but who knows? I've never read any discussions on this. I don't like it when he sleeps on the sofa is definitely fine anyway. I don't like him sleeping on the sofa is ok as well, in my opinion. I'm interested in this question too, so let's wait for some other opinions.http://www.englishforums.com/English/ItsNotMyFaultIfThat/lbqbb/post.htm#928448Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:59:29 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:928448kooyeenYou definitely would not use "that" if you are referring to something that you know is fact. Hi, was there a mistake there? Did you mean "You definitely would not use IF"? Well, what I was saying is that I suspected that "if" was used even if somebody knew something was definitely true, but still used "if" as a way to make the apology less direct, as if they were avoiding admitting what they did. You know, the kinds of people who are reluctant to say they're sorry, and when they do they're like "sorry if...", like they're never wrong. Techincally, grammatically, "if" would imply a conditional structure there, but you know, often particles or expressions like...http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuestionAboutAint/lbqdg/post.htm#928389Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:07:13 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:928389alpheccastarsHi: I seldom, if ever use "ain't." I use it only in circumstances when I am deliberately chosing to epeak in a "slang" language. The general frequency of usage in conversation is highly dependent on the local dialect and socio-economic factors. Best regards, A- shttp://www.englishforums.com/English/Dialect/lbvjr/post.htm#926235Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:26:19 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:926235ivanhrOk, thanks for that MM, when you say South London, does that mean that North London dialect differs substantially from that and how exactly? Best regards Ivanhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/Dialect/lbvjr/post.htm#925030Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:40:57 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:925030mister micawberSouth London, but "The Only Fools characters speak in a special language, some of which is Cockney Rhyming slang and some of which are pure inventions sprung from the mind of Derek Trotter. From time to time Del also employs some unique foreign lingo."http://www.englishforums.com/English/BusDriverFightsWithAKid/2/lrxkc/Post.htm#924988Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:56:51 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:924988kooyeenVery interesting. Phonemes helped me a lot, but if I had known the expression "un" I might have understood correctly. From Longman: (BrE spoken) a short form of 'one', used to say that someone or something is good, bad etc. As for "faults", I thought of that at first, but I discarded it for two reasons: 1) Longman didn't help me much and so it seemed the verb "fault" wasn't good there. 2) It might sound like "faults" in American English, but I was expecting a different vowel in that accent (a higher one, like the one in "thought" here: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=thought&submit=Submit) And so I discarded this option too. So are words like "not"...http://www.englishforums.com/English/Dialect/lbvjr/post.htmFri, 02 Oct 2009 11:56:49 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:924953ivanhrHi, Which dialect do they speak in Only fools and horses? Best regards Ivanhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/WhileVsWhilst/4/vrpm/Post.htm#924755Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:47:08 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:924755anonymousAmerican-English was British-English, except that it was altered significantly by all of the various influences (immigrants/languages from other countries) that learned to speak it in America. Everyone in the UK knows how to communicate in English and sure there are different dialects. However, in America, immigrants were learning english from immigrants...now guess what happened? That's actually a pretty racist/prejudicial way of putting things. It's also historically inaccurate in the extreme. The differences in orthography (spelling) and grammar between American and British English are not the result of "corruption by immigrants" or any other such nonsense. Some orthographic differences are the result of fiat --...http://www.englishforums.com/English/BusDriverFightsWithAKid/2/lrxkc/Post.htm#924713Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:28:33 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:924713kooyeenHey, MrTom, LOL! You know I don't understand everything either (and especially if it's not the dialect I'm used to), so I just understand from the context. I tried listening to these pieces several times as an excercise, and here are my comments: This guy is a burglar! A ??? in pants in the heart of Brasil. I don't think he says "roman". Why roman? And then it doesn't sound exactly like that to me. The closest thing that makes sense I can imagine is "A rogue one", but again, I don't hear the w-sound and the g-sound, so I have no idea what it actually is. Phonemically, I think I hear "uh-row-ng-un" /ə rowŋ ən/ which makes no sense, LOL. Unfortunately,...http://www.englishforums.com/English/AponUpon/lbbgn/post.htm#924083Thu, 01 Oct 2009 08:59:57 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:924083spaced_manApon is a Middle English spelling of upon . Many u- prefixes were spelt a- in Middle English. However after spellings were standardised, the a- prefix largely fell out of use. The correct spelling in Modern English is upon . Although, in many dialects, the pronunciation still has a distinct ah sound to it. spacedhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveHaveUsTakeTakeUs/lrqpp/post.htm#923679Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:13:32 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:923679makaayHmm, so it certainly is a sort of southern dialect. Because I love country music that unfortunately has a not much good grammar. But I like it, what can I do? At least if someday I go to southern US, I'll understand what people mean when say that.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveHaveUsTakeTakeUs/lrqpp/post.htm#923643Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:36:10 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:923643califjimAre you sure they speak standard American or British English? It sounds like it might be from a sort of dialect of English. Where I live nobody puts that pronoun there. The only meaning it might have, to my ear, is a sort of enthusiastic emphasis, but I can't say for sure because I don't belong to the group of people who use that construction. CJhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/BusDriverFightsWithAKid/lrxkc/post.htm#923524Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:42:10 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:923524spaced_man"The phrase 'caught on camera' could n't be more appropriate, as a lardy sweat-bucket of a bus driver shows he has all the self control of Amy Whitehouse going out for a swift half. "Watch as the dastardly kids torment the poor, responsible adult by getting up from their seats and shouting a bit . Oh, I hope they get what's coming to them from this brave hero. "By the looks of things, the angry little man was going to test his new fighting techniques on that small, blond, ten-year-old girl there on the right. But the sound of truly naughty language makes him realize he should step up his game and take on a ten-year-old boy instead. " Despite one of the kids' attempts to swing a punch back,...http://www.englishforums.com/English/CanDescribeSchwaSound/lrmgn/post.htm#922406Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:58:32 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:922406philipshort 'the' (before a consonant sound) French le Oddly e nough, a large p e r centage of unstressed English vow e ls "reduce to schwa" in rap i d speech, including those underlined here. It varies, depending on the person, dialect, speed and other factors of stress in the context.http://www.englishforums.com/English/DoEveningAfterTwelveMidnight/2/kqjjm/Post.htm#919236Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:07:15 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:919236kooyeenIn the States, we come up with new lingos and idioms all the time, no? I don't know. I've never seen "no" used as a sentence tag that way, for example. I was told that "yes?" would sound like "mexican" or "german" or something though. You like my wurstel cake, yes? But I guess some native speakers might actually say it, in some dialects. Making up expressions is not ok, but I agree there are sometimes no fixed rules. There are too many regional and personal variations. However, it looks like you can't teach an ESL student to say "Good after dawn, my names being Jack, I now be want search job with commies", and explain that "commie" is a made up word that is...http://www.englishforums.com/English/HasAnyoneTriedHogeCourseEffortless-English/6/zgkjw/Post.htm#915964Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:03:17 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:915964elena_osullivanAJ Hoge's "effortless english" is a waste of money. I made the mistake of buying it for a friend who doesn't speak much English and she doesn't even use it. I don't blame her because it takes a lot of effort to learn with it, and there are much, much better materials available on the internet for free. My friend watched some of his videos wherein he sells his MP3's and she thought she found the magic answer thanks to AJ. He's a good salesman but a very mediocre teacher.http://www.englishforums.com/English/GeneralPronunciationTalkCaught-Bought/kpjrl/post.htm#912990Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:21:40 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:912990mister micawberI haven't the patience to read through all of that thread, but there is no single American pronunciation. We have several regional dialects, all of which are acceptable. The Webster's pronunciations that I have already given you are fine– what more do you want?http://www.englishforums.com/English/Dialects/kpkmx/post.htm#912447Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:40:05 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:912447mister micawberThere are whole websites on AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH , INDIAN ENGLISH , SINGAPOREAN ENGLISH , etc. Use a search engine to find the word or the dictionary you want.http://www.englishforums.com/English/Dialects/kpkmx/post.htmMon, 21 Sep 2009 20:00:05 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:912013anonymousim looking for different dialects ones that im not familar with but not sure were to look for example some people say starved or nesh when there feelin cold bt i need more so if u could help id be grateful cheers kirstyhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/PronouciationOfLetterC/kxpmn/post.htm#908829Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:04:22 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:908829philipYou are witnessing what linguists refer to as 'assimilation', when the pronunciation of a letter is affected by something surrounding it. In this case, /k/ (unvoiced) is the pronunciation we start with, but because the vowel following it is naturally voiced, the /k/ may take on a voiced characteristic, leaving you with the feeling of /g/ (voiced). The dictionary doesn't include this information, as it varies greatly from person to person, even from dialect to dialect.http://www.englishforums.com/English/DistinctionLiverpoolAccent/kxblh/post.htm#905729Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:55:07 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:905729kooyeenI guess they speak the Scouse dialect. I just looked up some stuff, and I found this, which seems to be very interesting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouse I also found an awesome video, but I can't post it here, I'm afraid. It's a bunch of scouse football supporters singing "We're not English, we are Scouse". But then I managed to understand another piece, and they go on saying that someone can stick their Royal Family into a place that wouldn't be appropriate to mention here.http://www.englishforums.com/English/LongAndShortVowelSounds/knxwp/post.htm#903295Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:07:44 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:903295kooyeenIt depends what you mean by long and short vowels. I only know the definition based on the real length, and in that case "bang" would have a long vowel because the vowel is followed by a voiced consonant. But the distinction between long and short vowels is not always made in some dialects... I don't know.http://www.englishforums.com/English/AmInsteadOfIAm/knjkd/post.htm#901923Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:31:29 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:901923kooyeenHi, I have never seen any reduced forms in written English, and your examples "look" odd to me: Am Jack, from the US I don't think that's possible even in informal English on the internet, but I'm not sure (you never know what teenagers can type online these days). In spoken English though it's possible to leave out certain words or syllables. It's called "ellipsis" and it's common in most English dialects. Your examples might sound like: 'M trying to fix it = I'm trying to fix ithttp://www.englishforums.com/English/ContactAtAndContactOn/kjndn/post.htm#883266Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:53:53 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:883266gleb_chebrikoffTinyPixie, you are absolutely correct about the use of these prepositions, but there exists one nuance that you should take into consideration. Thus, on is used for giving phone numbers in British English, eg : Call us on 0800 0900017 , while at is chiefly used in American English. As to e-mail addresses, at is chiefly used in both dialects, just as you mentioned. Via is also used instead of at, but with a different meaning. Respectfully, Gleb Chebrikoff.http://www.englishforums.com/English/AtmsUsingCockneyRhyming-Slang/ldnbd/post.htmTue, 25 Aug 2009 00:08:32 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:937247ronbWe just had a thread about Cockney rhyming slang now this article about ATMs using it. "They're" watching us. "LONDON (AP — You'd better get ready to use your loaf if you want to get your hands on some bread. Over the next three months a cluster of East London ATMs will be offering customers the chance to withdraw cash using written prompts in Cockney rhyming slang, the area's colorful and often impenetrable dialect. "ATMs run by a company called Bank Machine offer a language option allowing customers to enter their "Huckleberry Finn" instead of their PIN, and rather worryingly informs them that the machine is reading their "bladder of lard" at a prompt about examining their card."...http://www.englishforums.com/English/UseExampleUncleExistenceEnglish-Language/bpcph/post.htm#870206Fri, 21 Aug 2009 03:11:14 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:870206grammar geek(bad US spelling and ruined punctuation rules) So it seems you are using flattery as your technique for asking people to help you? Interesting. Look up mothers-in-law versus mother-in-laws. Apply the same rule uncles. And speaking of ruined punctuation, look up "greengrocer's apostrophe" to see how "uncle-in-law's" would be judged. I suppose while you're at it, you can look up what a dialect is as well.http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhileVsWhilst/3/vrpm/Post.htm#856485Tue, 11 Aug 2009 02:29:37 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:856485anonymousAmerican-English was British-English, except that it was altered significantly by all of the various influences (immigrants/languages from other countries) that learned to speak it in America. Everyone in the UK knows how to communicate in English and sure there are different dialects. However, in America, immigrants were learning english from immigrants...now guess what happened? After all, don't overlook the fact that British-English is primarily frenched-up-german with additional flavors from surrounding regions.http://www.englishforums.com/English/Bagel/kdjnb/post.htm#852812Sat, 08 Aug 2009 14:55:14 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:852812yankeeAccording to both the Cambridge Dictionary and the Oxford Dictionary, "bag'gel" is not the British pronunciation of the word "bagel". If those two dictionaries are any indication, the British pronunciation is basically identical to the American pronunciation. http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/bagel?view=uk http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=5571&dict=CALD Perhaps your co-worker's pronunciation reflects some sort of local dialect.http://www.englishforums.com/English/ReadListenPronounceStudents/2/vlkhk/Post.htm#850089Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:32:14 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:850089moduffycobbTo Martin: In my ESL class, people have difficulties with all sorts of things. "F" becomes "p", "i" becomes "a", etc. "Not" may easily become "nat" for people, especially if they are used to their own regional dialects, not English. My students listen to me, see my mouth, and still are unable to prounounce things sometimes. It takes time and practice to get it right. The point is that we're all here to learn together. Practice, practice, practice. :) Maureen.http://www.englishforums.com/English/ExpressionYouDonTKnow/kbpmw/post.htm#844750Sun, 02 Aug 2009 20:02:22 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:844750kooyeen(especially not the second one). Hi, thanks. Yeah, the second one clearly needs a context first (otherwise, how CAN you imagine anything? LOL) But the first one should be ok as a way to introduce something, why not? We use it this way in Italian, is it different in English? Example: Message for Amy: Hi Amy, you can't imagine how upset I am right now. My cat has disappeared... I haven't seen her in two days! I am very worried... blah blah blah. Maybe you had other contexts in mind? I just saw that the original poster was talking about "postcards". Still, I think I might send you a postcard like this: Hey Amy, you can't imagine how beautiful it is around here! I'm taking tons of pics!!! Kisses... ...http://www.englishforums.com/English/BeYouSick/jqlkn/post.htm#833674Sat, 25 Jul 2009 23:05:21 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:833674mr wordy"Be you sick?" is not standard English. It could be a dialect form or an archaic usage. I understand it to mean the same as "Are you sick?". "No better from" is not right if you mean "no better than". (It is possible that the words "no better from" could occur in a sentence, but not with that meaning.)http://www.englishforums.com/English/NoRhymeMonthSilverOrangePurple/jnmwg/post.htm#830708Thu, 23 Jul 2009 05:43:12 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:830708neilhtbI always thought you could rhyme Orange with Losenge, depending on your spoken dialect of course!http://www.englishforums.com/English/ToPassMotion/jxvjl/post.htm#830185Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:25:34 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:830185yoong liatIn Malay, it is " buang air besar" , is it correct to say "pass motion" in English ? 'pass motion' is not the correct English term for going to the toilet to defecate. I think it is Singlish.http://www.englishforums.com/English/GoneForATossScrewedUp/jpqhx/post.htm#830148Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:34:53 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:830148yankeeHi Misty77 Your first two sentences are basically meaningless to me. Perhaps the expression "go for a toss" is limited to a particular dialect of English. To me, your third sentence means that your washing machine is either broken or working extremely badly.http://www.englishforums.com/English/TheLanguageSpokenIraqis/glwdv/post.htm#828622Tue, 21 Jul 2009 08:16:22 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:828622anonymousBoth Egyptians and most Iraqis (not the Kurds in the North) speak Arabic. They have different "dialects" though, and they are quite different. Iraqis can easily understand Egyptians because of the large film- and music industry of Egypt`s capital Cairo, but it is a bit harder for Egyptians to understand all Iraqi dialects.http://www.englishforums.com/English/StativeVerbs/4/bhqk/Post.htm#823412Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:24:59 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:823412anonymousAs an ESL teacher, I have run into the dynamic-stative continuous form problem regularly. My colleagues and I disagree. The way I explain this concept to my students is by trying to clarify that there are two kinds of grammar in the English language.( If one wants to get philosophical, I'm sure there are many 'grammars' if one wants to get into an ethnolinguistic argument and the legitimacy of dialect as language.) The two kinds of grammar: descriptive (the language people use, slang, ebonics) and prescriptive (the rule book based on Latin grammar ideology) follow different rules. I explain to them that English grammar rules were imposed rules based on Latin rules. English is primarily teutonic (though mixed with French) thus...http://www.englishforums.com/English/ThoughtExperiment/lchlg/post.htm#930822Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:20:27 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:930822ronbWhat if there was a time machine that could take you back in time about 1000 years. Say it dropped ... speaking in the devils tongue. I have my own answer, but curious to know what you might do or say. First off, the "English" of 1000 AD was more closely related to German than Middle or Modern English. I tried to learn Middle English once by translating "Piers the Plowman." I doubt you would understand much of Old English at all. And even you had studied Old English, the dialects were pretty diversified. But if you landed in England of 1000 BC, depending on where you ended up, you may need to know Old French, or Welsh, or Celtic or Norse instead of Old English. If it were me, personally, being Catholic I would first...http://www.englishforums.com/English/MultipleStandardEnglishes/2/jmckg/Post.htm#813294Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:22:40 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:813294anonymous<By all means let local varieties develop, but keeping learners away from Standard English as a matter of policy is nothing short of illiberal. > I thought it was more of a case of the Standard English speaking world keeping ESL students away from alternative dialects? And would you say that we should create a standard religion so we can all worship the same god and live in peace and harmony? After all, religion is above all just worship.http://www.englishforums.com/English/MultipleStandardEnglishes/2/jmckg/Post.htm#813291Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:17:29 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:813291anonymous<The people who commented never said that the NSE line would not be understood, only that it was characteristic of a regional dialect.> You need to look beyond this tiny forum. <Since then, I've encountered many regional dialects, and even have run across a couple that were incomprehensible to me.> So, if you, and it seems many, have no problem understanding most dialects, why do we need Standard English?